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        riddles >> easy >> My broken calculator (II)
        
(Message started by: BNC on Oct 21^st, 2003, 9:09am)

Title: My broken calculator (II)
Post by BNC on Oct 21^st, 2003, 9:09am

You may remember my calculator broke down (http://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~wwu/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?board=riddles_easy;action=display;num=1064700583). Well, I tried to fix it -- unsuccesfully :-/

Again, only two functions work:
A: Squares a number (res -> res²)
B. This is a strange one. It takes the number, and adds the lower 3 digits to the rest of the number. For example, 245 would remain 245. 1245 would yield 1+245=246.

In addition, every time I turn it on it displays 203.

Starting from 203, and using just those two functions, is it possible to display 555?

Title: Re: My broken calculator (II)
Post by towr on Oct 21^st, 2003, 9:35am

on 10/21/03 at 09:09:13, BNC wrote:

Starting from 203, and using just those two functions, is it possible to display 555?

Not in less than 15 steps, and I haven't got any further yet.. And I suppose this isn't the way to answer the question..

A different approach ::[hide]203 is not divisable by 3, 555 is. function A and B both retain the 3-divisability, so going out on a limb I'd have to say it won't work[/hide]::